MMA News

Lyoto Machida: "Nobody is invincible", not even Jon Jones

“I was at a birthday party last night and I heard I’d be fighting Jon Jones. I accepted immediately, I couldn’t announce it at the time, though. Ed and Joinha told me to hold the information and it was complicated, I had to stop talking at all (laughs). In the morning I want to give a class and, when I came back, the contract was there for me to sign… It’s hard, he’s is very versatile and knows a lot of techniques, but we play a similar game. He kicks, I kick, he punches and goes to the ground, I can defend myself and take him down too. Stamina and game plan are things that could define this bout’s outcome. Nobody is invincible. We’re training for the best, looking to enlarge our body and mind, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida takes to Brazilian media outlet Tatame.com to discuss his recently announced title fight with Jon Jones.

Out of 19 opponents only two have figured out Lyoto and those two men where Rampage Jackson (who may have lost if the bout was five-rounds) and “Shogun” Rua. Will Jones be able to solve the riddle that most men have failed at or will he be able to overcome the elusive “Dragon” and defend his title for a second straight time?

no Jmad you are right and as for mr. razor shut up because shogun and rampage are always looking to finish the fight…were as machida lets the finish come to him and if not he will take the decision win. If machida stays back and plays his game he will win….but people forget machida tostrains with a dynamic striker with a long reach (anderson silva), plus he trains with heavy weight ju jitsu black belts (nogiera, dos santos) so he is used to spariing guys with long arms and legs…and used to grappling with guys who are bigger than him. plus if machida wanted to he could take down bones and hold him there, he took down tito, shogun, rampage, sokoju,etc. and randy couldn’t take him down. Machida is faster, smarter, and more skilled…..please please please tell me how u think jon jones is going to defeat him

Jones’ and Machida’s styles make for an interesting match up. The one thing I didn’t realize about Lyoto is that he has the best takedown defense percentage in the the LHW division. He also has the fastest hands and feet in the division (yes he’s faster than Rashad). I still believe Jones will win this fight but it’s going to be a huge test for him. Can’t wait for this one.

Rashad is not as big a threat, Shad’s a great fighter but I see him as a faster Ryan Bader with better Muay Thai, not gonna get it done against Jones IMO.

Yea agree very interesting match up. Machida is way stronger than he looks and hard as hell to take down. See wat happens on the feet. Machida the better technical striker but jon jones is good at using his crazy reach so idk. Think he could present a challenge to jones but jones should be able to put him away.

A hand injury is something that you’re going to feel every single punch of the fight. And yeah people have fought with worse, but you don’t do stupid shit like that when you’re fighting for the title. Rashad is smarter than that.

@christian what if you punch with the other hand? bones pretty much called rashads bluff. rashad injured his hand but still called jones out and jones accepted n now rashad pulls out, hmmm so hes smarter for doing what again?

If you are saying that guys are fighting injured all the time, why UFC 133 Evans vs. Ortiz and not Evans vs. Jones, and it turned out that Jones didn’t even need surgery. If the arm is still hurt, you got to let it heal because to fight Jones, you need to be 100% healthy.

I don’t remember Machida having any problems in the third round minus Rampage’s chin. It’s not like Rampage was dominating him in the first or second either. He edged him out.

5 round fight between Machida and Jones will be interesting. The last Jackson trained fighter got ktfo. Admittedly Rashad and Jones are different beasts, but it tells me that Greg Jackson doesn’t yet have a good strategy to defeat Machida.

Machida had problems with Rampage’s clinches. Machida’s a counter-striker, so his leg kicks were done from a distance, less effective than if he was close (like Forrest). Machida had problems, that’s why he lost, 28-29. You don’t have to be dominated to lose.

Rashad-Machida II, if it ever happens, will end differently. As much as I don’t care for Rashad, he is a different fighter than the one who faced Machida the first time. Machida hasn’t changed at all. And that may be his weakness.

Judges didn’t screw anybody. That first round was so close, it could’ve went either way. Neither fighter did much. Rampage got round 2. Lyoto round 3. The fight that I think of when I read your statement is BJ and Edgar in Abu Dhabi, not Lyoto and Rampage.

rashad broke his hand during the ortiz fight and will be able to begin training in 3 weeks but dana thinks that will be too late so instead gve the title shot to a guy who is 1-2 in his last 3 fights…. dana is an ass.

i like how everyone hates on jones lol when he was fighting rampage everyone rooted against bones now everyones going for machda? has jon jones proved nothing to you idiotic people? jones is here to stay for a long while.

Dude…. Rampage was the 5-1 underdog going into that fight. Of course people were rooting for the underdog. Jones has a long way to go before he is as revered as much as Anderson Silva. A BJJ specialist or wrestler is going to beat Jon Jones sooner or later. Either that or he’ll have to move to Heavyweight and get creamed by JDS because his striking although unorthodox is sloppy. His reach is his primary advantage.

im not sure if its a long way if he beats machida. beating three former champs in one year is a bigger accomplishment than anything anderson has done in one year. bones is shooting up the mma legendary status real quickly if he succeeds by beating machida.

Definitely a big accomplishment to beat 3 former champs in one year, but to compare it to what Anderson has done is unfair given the fact that there have only been 1 former UFC MW champion prior to Anderson fighting in the UFC. But what you said does raise one question for me to you….Do you think Rashad is at MMA legendary status since he’s beaten 4 former UFC LHW champs and has been a champion himself?

I know he specializes in Karate but how will his Karate do when Jones is sitting on his chest? He is a natural striker and there is no ground fighting in Karate. Although this is an exciting matchup and has potential for an upset, I don’t think Lyoto’s style of jumping in and out of range is a good stylistically to win the title. You either need a good wrestler like Rashad or a tank like Rampage to neutralize that reach. Either way this should be exciting and I hope it last at least 4 rounds. I hope I am wrong….

I believe Bones and Spider are somewhat similar. If a wrestler like Chael Sonnen (who almost beat Spider) exists in the LHW division, then that would be the one capable of bringing Jones up to the end of 5 rounds and win (which is the most that He or anyone can achieve). For now, the only guy that can beat Jones is a Heavyweight Champion (Cain Velasquez), unless Machida prove it otherwise. Dragon has unique style, so as Bones. The question will be “Whose style will win?”

For someone to say karate has no ground game is ridiculous….take it from me (a black belt in shotokan) there is several trows in karate, several chokes and joint locks in karate and several sweeps and off balancing type trips. Why do u think so many people do karate and it looks like all striking….its because in the 1930’s when gichin funtakoshi introduced the martial arts the people were not interested in the grappling beacuse judo was established in the 1880’s.(and ju jitsu is just judo but with less throws, and a few tweeks on submissions here and there.) so the japanese people fell in love with striking because they all ready had grappling. Plus Machida has a black belt in ju jitsu and did sumo wrestling for several years. And sumo wrestlers have way better base than a grecco roman wrestler. Plus they can stuff takedowns better too. And jon jones is a real creative striker who stays on the outside and counter strkes, and is elusive, and is creative. Well guess what Machida does the exact same thing only he has been doing it since he was 4 years old. Machida all day.

machida all day? You guys are crazy. Machida will probably open bets worse then Rampage 6 or 6 to 1. Jones is here to stay. Only way someone to beat Jones i see it now is to bring him down and keep him there,, Maybe get a decision. That reach and variety of kick is just too much for smaller fighters
Jones by TKO or submission Rd 3

Maybe.. Rashad has improved his game has machida? Two loses and a win over a 47 year old? Like I said .. machida might have a chance bc of the matchup? I wouldn’t hold my breathe against bones bc he beat both guys easily that machida lost too..

rashad almost got knocked out by rampage and thiago silva and beat tito who didnt even have his heart in it to win it after the win over bader. machida almost knocked rampage out rampage even gave him credit, the rampage that beat machida would have beat rashad. but i agree jones would beat machida but machida imo stand a better shot at him than both rampage and rashad. if shogun was in better shape i think he would have been able to put on a better fight against jones.

shogun knocked machida out after he was put on his back twice and got hit with a flying knee….if machida would have connected with his right hand he would have knocked out shogun….it was like the rashad evans chuck liddel fight….whoever connected first was gonna knock the other guy out

@MMA Doctor….i agree with u. And when people say shogun beat him twice that is just silly….every time shogun threw a leg kick machida countered with a reverse punch…and shogun couldn’t take down machida….i had machida winning 4 rounds to 1….and if they fought again machida would win

Mr bones better live it up while he can. Ya he’s prolly gunna beat machida but when he grows up and has to go to heavyweight he will be nothing. The only reason he is so dominant isbecuz he has a foot reach advantage and is way bigger than everyone. Jones does not impress me. With him being so big and such a huge reach he should be destroying everyone in one or two rounds. He was scared of rampages punches and he’s gunna run like a girl against machida too.

Ya I hate jon jones Faggot ass. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. He thinks he’s Gods gift to mma. One day jones and the greaser will be dethroned and real mma can continue. Not oh let’s run from my opponent the whole fight even tho imbigger and could finish him let’s just run. That’s why anderson is number one cuz he don’t fuck around. That’s why gsp and jonnyboy are scared. Jones coach even said jones will just out wrestle Silva. Well no shit cuz you’d get ur bitch ass knocked out. You got a 3 foot reach advantage and your striking is still shit

zack stfu u makin urself sound like a retard. bones is nothing like gsp. bones has put away/finished top opponents that have never been finished in the ufc. hes exciting to watch in the ring. anderson silva doesnt finish everybody right away he always feels them out and most of the time finishes them after round one. what jones does in his free time might be annoying and his holier than thou attitude may or not be an act but the bottom line is hes a very dangerous and exciting fighter im glad is in the ufc and continuing to put on exciting fights. ur hate makes u say dumb things and god forgives you for that, but guys like me wont, idiot.

you sound way too butt hurt over jon jones. i wouldnt go as far as saying his striking is shit, if that was true, how did he manage to ko many of his opponents? true he’s got that reach, but you cant deny the dude got skillz and also one of the most nastiest elbows in ufc. enough talkin bout jones though. i dont really care for him.

all machida needs to do is make the fight a hit and run marathon and attack jones legs because i beleive jones has the best poker face and can hide the fact that he gets tired in the later rounds and has brittal legs..machida has the ability to confuse and outscore get jones out of his comfort zone so he better up his dam game

your logic is stupid..styles make fights, who ever beat who doesent matter..machidas style is the only style i see at lhw that will cause jones problems…machida will have so much in his arsenal for this fight,,hes reinvigorated, learned from the losses, has silva who can mimic jones easily in training, more tape to study now since jones last few fights and jones hasent changed in his last 3 fights..machida can win this, ali dominated in boxing in his prime with his elusiveness, if lyoto fights his fight speed and movement is the key to whip jones.

machida won over rampage, he even said “machida wheep my ass, machida is the man” after the fight, because he know the dragon got screwed in the decision. jon jones is very athletic and unique fighter, but he never faced a true martial artist, he fought guys who likes to trade trade strikes, guys who love to finish early, but never a guy who is more technical, who uses technique that power, never a guy more elusive.

I said long before this fight was announced and I will say it again, Machida is hands down the most difficult fight for Jones so far stylistically. No sense in getting into mmamath and talking about how Shogun ko’d Machida and since Jones easily beat him then it is obviously Jones>Machida.. Machida and Shogun are 2 completely different animals.. Mark my words Machida will give Jones a fight..

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